ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
by Doorist -vyvrik
Summary: Cody is less than impressed to discover his ex stable mates have joined him after the draft, as he still holds one of them responsible, feeling burned and cast aside after the one the year before. slash.


**NOT CONDUCTIVE TO COGNITIVE THOUGHT**

Drabbly one shot 'cos I'm out of practice...

Rated M for language and m/m slash

Set just after this draft.

A/N: Finding myself with some unexpected baby-free time and feeling myself getting rusty-er by the second, I just had a hankering to write something, _anything_, but the bunnies wouldn't work on demand and I had nothing, so this is for Katie, who wanted some candy angst

...

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Cody hissed savagely, whirling around as someone clumsily stumbled into the locker room,

"What?" Ted removed his hood in surprise and dumped his bags next to Cody's on the bench, the less than civil greeting turning his blank expression to confusion as it met the cold narrow gaze burning into him. Cody unceremoniously kicked his bags off onto the floor.

With little aplomb, he picked up his own and stalked across the room, slamming his stuff into a free locker about as far away as he could get from his former team mate, glaring all the while.

"You heard me, why the fuck are you even here? You just can't do anything on your own, can you? So fucking lame Ted, I was doing just fine without you while you withered away to nothing on Raw, and now you come crawling back and they'll be expecting me to carry you all over again! Or even worse, reform Legacy! I finally managed to escape all the generational bullshit and here you are again, ruining my life!"

Ted just stood stock still, the relentless tirade taking him by surprise, especially considering the last time they'd hung out at the pay-per-view they'd happily bashed each others brains in over several rounds of Smackdown vs Raw 2010, "Dude, what?"

"Ugh, whatever. You just don't get it do you?"

"Get what? What's wrong with you? Cody, they're not planning on all that again, I _asked_ them to move me, so what's your problem? It was my idea, I thought it'd be fun, gang's all here and whatnot..."

"You ASKED them?" Cody couldn't keep the disgusted disbelief from his voice, "FUCK YOU DIBIASE. Why can't you just fuck off? Huh? I can't believe you'd do that! Can't you ever think up anything on your own? Just 'cos you're failing over on the big boys show doesn't mean you can just waltz in here and go back to your glory days of standing in the background in Randy's shadow while he main events you know!"

He slammed the locker hard, fury radiating out of every pore of his body as he stormed towards the showers,

"If you ruin everything I've worked so hard for here, I'll make damn sure to show you the same courtesy!"

He whirled back around as the door slammed, his vitriol this time directed at the new occupant in the room, standing stock still as he entered in the midst of heated tension, "And you too, you fucking asshole!"

"What did I do?" Randy's low voice rumbled incredulously around the room, surprised to suddenly find the cold steel eyes glaring at him with pure hatred,

"Oh please," Cody rolled his eyes, "Don't give me that Randy, like you don't know. It was all your doing you fucking control freak!"

"What? No it wasn't!"

"Don't give me that! I know how you work! Remember? You taught me exactly how you roll, and I can't believe you're doing this to me."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" But Cody had already disappeared into the showers and Randy turned his accusatory wrath on Ted instead, "What's wrong with him?"

But Ted just shrugged, his own uneasy confusion evident as he turned away, bending over his bag as he shook his head,

"Dude I have no clue. Boy's gone and turned fucking diva supreme hanging out over here."

"Fucks sake. Well what'd you say to him? You know you grind his gears without even trying,"

"All I did was walk in here!"

"Yeah, that'd do it..."

"What!"

"You know it's true," Randy smirked, turning back to his study of the shower room wall as if suddenly the answer to Cody's uncharacteristic outburst would appear to him if he stared hard enough.

"Sounds like he ain't been laid in a while if you ask me..." Ted ventured, his own towel slung over his shoulder as he emerged from the depths of his locker, just in time to see Cody's face turn puce with barely disguised rage as he reappeared in the doorway.

"Ted, don't..." Randy admonished, but Ted seemed intent on stoking the fire as he headed for the showers himself,

"You know it's true," he quipped sarcastically,

"Fuck you DiBiase," Cody spat savagely as Ted scooted past him, shooting Randy a pointed glare, not even attempting to look remotely sorry, an act which only served to earn him a swift kick to the shins from Randy on the way by,

"Grow up, both of you," he shouted in frustration, raking his hands over the stubble of his newly shorn skull and sighing as he turned to face Cody, observing the tense stance and rapid motions as he dried himself down across the room , "Fuck man I'm sick of the both of you already, what'd he do?"

"He's _here_, isn't that enough?"

"Codes, don't be like that..." he reached out a comforting hand as he covered the floor in two long strides, but Cody slapped it away as though he'd been burned,

"Don't fucking touch me!"

Randy didn't even know how to react at the unexpected outburst, wisely staying quiet as Cody fumed in his face,

"Don't pretend to be my friend Randy! You were the one that had me sent away last time! As soon as you didn't need your little lacky anymore I was out on my ear, out of the way, even though you've been pretending all this time that it isn't the case, but don't think I don't know!"

His chest was heaving as he got all up in Randy's face, to the point where the taller man found himself stepping back with a gulp as he tried to respond, only to be cut off swiftly before he even got a chance to defend himself,

"I was doing just fine on my own," he spat bitterly, "Just fucking fine. Yet now you're here too, why? What more do you want from me? I gave you everything and you gave me a fucking demotion! Fuck you!"

Cody seethed inwardly, turning away and breathing deeply, concentrating on lacing up his boots to calm his racing mind. He knew he was acting like a petulant child, but he couldn't stop all the things he'd been holding inside for the past year returning in full force, unable to be contained and lashing out at the first opportunity. He really wasn't sure what lay behind the last minute decision the year before to send him to the other brand and start all over again, all on his own, but he'd held his resentment and insecurity securely hidden away every time he had to face his former colleagues, but this time, with Randy looking at him pityingly like that, this time just proved too much.

"Is that what you really think?" Randy was flabbergasted, and somewhat concerned, and he couldn't deny the fact that he was completely thrown by the accusation, the whole outburst seeming to come from nowhere as far as he was concerned, and the normally placid man in front of him just ignored his question completely,

"And why are _you_ here anyway?" Cody asked harshly instead, standing to face Randy after rummaging in his bag for the babyoil, waving it around and pointing it at his chest, an action that would've been considered comical under different circumstances. But all the venom had gone from his voice as he demanded an answer from the man he blamed for his rise through the card, because he couldn't deny the move had done him the world of good, but he wasn't about to go thanking anybody for what he still couldn't help seeing as a dismissal, putting his gradual rise down to his own hard work and determination.

Randy shrugged, "I just do what I'm told man, you know that..." but he looked a little sheepish, avoiding his eye, a fact Cody was quick to pick up on,

"Don't give me that shit Randy," he scoffed, turning his back and covering his limbs with a generous squeeze of the warm oil, "D'you think I was born yesterday? I'm not Ted so cut the crap."

"Well okay, okay maybe I asked for a change of scenery, better scenery..." he added meaningfully, watching Cody vigorously rubbing circles into his tan flesh, "You got a problem with that?"

"What if I do? It won't make no difference to anyone anyway now will it?"

"It makes a difference to me!"

Cody snorted derisively, "Bullshit."

"Cody..." Randy sighed, gearing up to defend himself and start on an earnest attempt to placate his furious friend, but as they stared each other down, his eyes took in the image of Cody standing fuming, chest heaving, flesh gleaming, baby oil still grasped firmly in his rapidly whitening knuckles... and he changed his mind, shoulders deflating as he realised there was no point in even attempting to argue with Cody in this mood. He'd had no idea he felt that way all this time and threw his arms up in defeat, "Think what you like man, I'm done,"

"You're done yeah? Really? Stop acting like it's news to you Randy, you were done with me when you just discarded me last year, stop pretending otherwise, I thought we were friends and you just..." he looked around, casting a surreptitious glance at the door to the showers checking that Ted was still safely inside and out of earshot, "You just..._ used_ me, and I fucking _let_ you, oh my god," he shook his head as if he couldn't believe it himself, "Fuck Randy I let you _use_ me, and you let me think there was more to it than that but you just used me and dumped me when a better model came along. So fuck you."

It was about all Randy could handle, being accused of being a shit friend in general, that he could handle, that he could deal with, but when he'd actually made every effort to be the opposite, this personal attack seemingly from nowhere hit a nerve and he felt himself blow a fuse. He stood stock still, breathing deeply and turning away as he desperately tried to refrain from lashing out in return.

"Cody," he hissed, coming closer in case Ted decided to re-emerge at an inopportune moment, "You really think that? Really? I fucking went to Vince and requested to move, and when he said no I fucking begged him Cody, I begged him to go with you! And when he refused I begged him to let you stay. I've never fucking begged for anything in my life! But I wanted it. And he still said no. You know why? 'Cos he knew how much I wanted it. And he's never let me forget about it Cody, despite ordering me to do just that. But you know what? I didn't forget about it, and I don't regret it, letting my guard down like that, 'cos I fucking meant it. But believe what you like 'cos you clearly don't believe me no matter what I say."

He was about to continue, there was so much more he could say, wanted to say, but his exasperation reached boiling point and he knew he needed to shut the fuck up before he said too much, something he'd regret,

"See you round."

Cody was left reeling in his wake as he stormed his way out into the corridor, "What the fuck? And what Randy, you just expected me to know this? How the fuck am I supposed to know when you never deem it necessary to tell me? Huh?"

"I didn't think I'd need to! Fuck Cody I thought it'd be obvious!" he backed up against the wall as some of the crew chose that moment to round the corner and he hissed in Cody's ear as the younger man followed him closely, "I thought we were on the same page!" he lowered his voice even further as he continued in a harsh whisper, "Sometimes actions speak louder than words..."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Cody growled, grabbing Randy's arm and spinning him round to face him, eyes flashing at everything Randy had just said,

"Remember the night before the draft, before you found out you were leaving?"

Cody faltered, "Yeah..."

Randy just stared at him meaningfully as he let the implications of that night sink in, for Cody to realise the reality he'd tried, and failed miserably, to show him,

"Exactly."

"You knew...?"

"I was saying goodbye, but I was trying to let you know it wasn't what I wanted,"

Cody stared at him in realisation, it all falling into place, "I... I just thought you were drunk..."

"Gee, thanks, nice to know you take me seriously."

And with that Randy turned and stalked away once more, feeling burned beyond belief that his actions had been so wildly misinterpreted.

Hell yes Cody remembered that night, how could he forget one of the most incredible nights of his life? That's half the reason why it hurt so fucking much to just be discarded at the first opportunity... at least, well at least that's what he'd thought all this time...

"Randy wait..."

"I'm done man, just drop it."

"What about Justin?" Cody's heart was racing as he voiced the question that had haunted him for months, but he just had to know, had he been wrong about that too? For all this time? His voice was barely a tremor on the air, and he waited with baited breath for Randy's response, bottom lip hard between his teeth,

But Randy was staring at him incredulously, wild eyed and increasingly furious, "Who?" he spluttered,

"He's been after you since the moment he arrived, I figured it was only a matter of time..."

"That's bullshit and you know it! Fuck Cody, how can you be so fucking paranoid?"

From burgeoning elation to unbridled fury in less than a second, premature hopes dashed before they had a chance to materialise, to become fully cognitive, "Well what do you expect me to think? One minute I'm all yours, next I'm cast aside by your doing and he's on the scene..."

"Cody, how many times... fuck sake, how many times was I on Smackdown for no real reason after you'd gone? Huh? Dude, I'd been there like, twice, in all the years since I'd left but with you there I went all the fucking time!"

Cody pressed himself hard against the wall, holding his breath as he attempted to process exactly what it was Randy had just said, not sure what to make of it all. He could feel Randy's eyes on him, just waiting for his reaction, but he had no comeback to that, it had never occurred to him that way before, all this time he'd never let himself believe that might be the reason for Randy's ever increasing presence and just assumed it was a coincidence.

He looked up, eyes still wide with disbelief, "Really?"

"Yeah, and you just like, acted like it was no big deal every damn time."

"I didn't think it was... for you..."

"I didn't think it was for_ you_..."

They both laughed awkwardly, the reality of how things had panned out and how things could've been hitting them simultaneously.

"It was a big deal, it was huge... but I tried not to let it be... "

"You _should've_ let it be..."

"I didn't know how..."

"Why?"

"I didn't... I couldn't let myself get in that position again, relying on someone. I was..." Cody didn't want to admit that he'd been hurting, "I had to be strong," he said simply, repeating it with conviction as if saying the words out loud added value, gave them meaning, "I only had myself to count on and I didn't trust myself, you really fucked me up Randy."

"But I ..."

Cody shrugged, "You hurt me." He said quietly, "But I was wrong okay, I know that now, but I can't help the way I felt..."

"How do you feel... now?"

"I dunno..."

"You know," Randy hesitated, only now for the first time realising how vulnerable Cody had been when he'd thought he was flourishing here on his own, "You know you done good, right? Harnessing all those insecurities, they've manifested themselves into a damn good heel,"

"Yeah?" Despite himself, Cody couldn't stop the pang in his chest, his awakening hopes getting the better of him again,

"Fuck yeah." Randy said gently, "You're a freak," he smirked, "and I think I really like that..."

"You think?"

"Yeah..."

They'd gravitated closer together, as close as the confines of a public corridor would allow, eyes locked, the words barely even whispered into the air,

"Wanna find out for sure?"

...

Large smooth palms ran over soft, warm flesh, running pleasurably along the curves and indents of the hard muscle, causing the slumbering recipient to hum in contentment. Moving instinctively towards the welcome ministrations, the sleep flushed body arched, melding into the side of the ever attentive partner, seeking more from the hot mouth currently lavishing meaningful.


End file.
